Hi! I’m Melanie Bergsma – Owner of HALO. I wanted to introduce myself and tell you a little more about HALO’s hoarding cleanup process and they way we’re helping our amazing clients.

Clients with hoarding disorder tell us that reaching out to HALO is both a great and hard decision. They are often ashamed and embarrassed by their situation and reaching out feels intimidating and vulnerable. Clients want to know that HALO will help them create a safer, healthier and better space to support their wellbeing.

Unfortunately, because of TV shows, clients think that HALO is going to swoop in, clean up and clean out EVERYTHING in sight leaving them feeling pushed around, bullied and without a say in the whole experience. Thankfully this is NOT how HALO functions, at all. At HALO we are proud of our team who are hired for their empathetic, compassionate and non-judgemental nature.

At HALO, our client’s wellbeing is our #1 priority and that drives our entire hoarding cleanup process.

Potential clients have the option of contacting us through phone or email, whichever works best for them. Either way, their message goes directly to ME – HALO owner – Melanie Bergsma, you can call me Mel. I will respond to them to have a safe discussion regarding the state of their home including what they need, worries and concerns, constraints like timelines, financial resources and overall goals.

After connecting, I will create what HALO calls a Plan of Care that is unique to every client. The Plan of Care is where HALO and the client agree on the work that needs to get done (which we refer to as goals) as well as an estimation of cost. The plan also includes the length of time HALO will spend with the client and which day(s) the work will happen. Once the Plan of Care is finalized and signed by both HALO and the client – the team can begin with hoarding cleanup.

On the day of hoarding cleanup we always start with reminding the client that the focus throughout is not to work around the client but with the client in all the ways we’ve previously agreed upon in the Plan of Care. Now is a good time to mention that some of our clients want to be very involved in the cleanup of their living space and others do not – both of these are honoured and respected.

The HALO team starts with what we call Triage. Triage refers to focusing on the areas that are most obviously affecting our client’s physical health and wellbeing – especially safety concerns. This includes clearing pathways around the home, making sure the team and client has accessibility to doors and windows and cleaning out garbage or biohazardous materials. After these concerns have been mitigated, the team will move to the other areas of the Plan of Care such as organizing spaces, finding “homes” for keepsakes and other household items, arranging household furniture, cleaning and making up rooms, etc …

Some jobs take hours, others take days, some take weeks. There is no right or wrong – each plan centres around the needs, goals and resources of each client. At the end of each hoarding cleanup clients have the opportunity to discuss their needs moving forward and HALO often schedules friendly follow-ups and helps clients connect into appropriate community services where requested.

No matter the scope of the hoarding cleanups we see – all of our clients appreciate knowing from the get-go that their mental health and wellbeing through the entire process is HALO’s #1 priority!